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Private Practice

Rutherford is a boutique legal recruitment agency which secures the finest lawyers for private practice firms in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Over the last decade, our legal recruitment firm in London has developed a strong reputation within the legal space, solidifying along the way our position as a leading law recruitment agency both in the UK and the US.

Given our numerous successful searches over the years in the in-house legal recruitment market, our team decided to further expand its remit within the legal space to now cover the private practice sector. Banking on the vast private practice recruitment experience from the team spearheading the function, Rutherford has been able to quickly build a strong expertise within the field.

Delivering premier search services with a consultative approach, our private practice recruitment team partners with a wide range of clients - from magic and silver circle law firms all the way to boutique - to identify and secure the best private practice legal talent. Rutherford is widely known for being a specialist recruiter with unparalleled market knowledge; our Legal Recruitment Consultants all have strong knowledge in the legal field, which enable them to approach every client mandate with an acute awareness of needs.

If you wish to find a legal recruitment partner who can assist you with the growth plans or succession planning of your business, get in touch with Rutherford’s private practice recruitment specialists today.


Private Practice Roles We Place

Debt Capital Markets Associate
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Financial Services Regulatory Associate
A Financial Services Regulatory Associate's core duties will tend to be centred around advisory and commercial projects regulatory work for a wide range of financial services clients, both in wholesale and retail. It will be supporting a private practice firm's clients in navigating and solving their regulatory matters.
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Energy Project Finance Senior Associate
The Energy Project Finance Senior Associate will focus on navigating the legal complexities which surround the funding and development of energy projects. This type of role is crucial when it comes to structuring financial agreements, negotiating terms and ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks.
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Search for Private Practice jobs

94%

of permanent placements made in the last two years are still in position

89

of our searches have been exclusive or retained in 2020

91

success rate on exclusive mandates in 2020

57%

of our placements in 2020 were from a diverse background

Private Practice Consultants

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Jonathan Skerrett

Director
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Matthew Makrinos

Head of Delivery
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Luzaan De Wit

Researcher, Private Practice Legal
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Rebecca Collins

Researcher, Private Practice Legal
Search for Private Practice jobs
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I have worked with Rutherford on a number of compliance and legal searches over the years.


They have consistently helped recruit top quality individuals into the firms I have worked for. Their knowledge of the market is fantastic and, importantly, they spend time getting to know the vacancy and the firm to ensure that they put forward the right candidates.


Highly recommend their compliance recruitment firm.

COO, TT International

​There aren't enough words to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to Rutherford for their assistance in helping me land an amazing role at a phenomenal private equity firm.


Rutherford's Compliance recruitment consultants were friendly, proactive, encouraging, and extremely helpful in guiding me through the recruitment process. I never once chased them and was consistently on the receiving end of calls, getting regular updates on the progress made. They kept an open and honest line of communication and spent a considerable amount of time prepping me at each stage of the process.


Their technical knowledge coupled with their down-to-earth personality makes Rutherford undoubtedly an amazing choice of a compliance recruitment firm if you're considering a career move in the legal or compliance sectors.

Compliance Associate, Leading European Private Equity Firm

​During the time I have known Rutherford, their compliance recruitment team have shown a combination of efficiency, consistency and a frankness which is rarely found amongst their competitors. I have been consistently impressed by my compliance headhunter's attitude whenever we have interacted. He was very encouraging and patient, just a genuinely nice person too. Would highly recommend him and Rutherford, and will be eternally grateful to them for helping me secure a role at my dream firm.

Compliance Director, Generation Investment Management

Rutherford's compliance recruitment team knows the market extremely well. They know all the players in the space and can speak to each's professional history and personality. They are very open and honest when communicating roles as well as any feedback a firm has after reviewing your resume or an interview. They always make a case for their clients and are extremely thoughtful in the roles they put you up for. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to move to London! I would recommend them to any colleague or friends in the Compliance space.

Vice President - Compliance, SoftBank Investment Advisers

​Working with Rutherford was an absolute pleasure, helping me secure my new position. They were very responsive and gave a lot of support throughout each stage of the recruitment process.


I would definitely recommend their compliance recruiters to those seeking a professional move!

Compliance Professional, Lansdowne Partners

I approached Rutherford in September 2020 looking for a new role and they couldn't have been more attentive. They kept me updated, ensured clear communication through the process - from introduction to offer - and ensured I moved to the best opportunity. The team is highly attentive and hard working.

Control Room Analyst, Citadel

​We have worked with Rutherford Search on a number of occasions to find candidates for regulatory/compliance positions and I’ve always found their London compliance recruitment team to be professional and helpful. They’ve done a great job of helping us find the best possible candidates and we have always been very pleased with the service offered.


Their compliance recruiters is proactive and reliable, invested in understanding and meeting our needs as a client and, most importantly, they are able to find and suggest great candidates which meet our specific briefs. The quality of service and candidates that we have received has always been high and this is indicative of Rutherford’s well-deserved reputation in the market.

Global Head of Compliance & Regulatory, FTSE 250 Asset Manager

​Rutherford recently placed me into my future role. At all stages of the recruitment process, they has been extremely positive, has provided excellent guidance with regards to interview preparation, and ensured I was kept up to date with news from the company throughout the selection process, providing timely feedback after the end of each stage. They have been an absolute joy to work with, and if you are looking for a new Compliance role, I can’t recommend them enough!

Financial Crime Manager

Having worked in the interim MLRO/Financial Crime market for more than 10 years, I have worked with a number of recruiters and sourcing agencies. However, amongst them I found Rutherford to be more professional than most I have encountered.

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I have no hesitation in recommending associates to contact them if they are looking to recruit, as I am at times when in an interim role, or if they are looking for AML or other financial crime roles in the financial services sector.

Interim MLRO, DNB

​Having made two excellent Compliance hires for our firm in London, Rutherford will be my go-to recruitment partner in the future. They fully understood our briefs and the culture they were recruiting for, which made the process efficient and transparent. My candidates were also happy with their interactions with the team, which were professional yet friendly. It was a pleasure working with them, and they would be the first firm I would recommend to others embarking on a recruitment process.

Chief Legal Officer, Eton Park International LLP

​Rutherford was instrumental in assisting Liquidnet Europe Limited in our search for a Head of Regulatory Compliance and Legal Affairs. They presented a selection of candidates with a range of experience. Each CV was a match to our requirements and to our cultural fit. This was no small feat considering the hybrid legal and compliance profile we were seeking. In the end, each area of our spec was met and the incumbent in the role is settling in nicely.

Subsequent to this search, Rutherford has also placed a contract surveillance person - again, superb match of skills to spec. The Rutherford team is personable, responsive and I highly recommend their services.

Head of HR - Global Talent Engagement, Liquidnet Europe Limited

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